Cognitive Enhancing Effects and Anticholinesterase Activity of Stem Bark and Leaf Extracts of Prunus Africana
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Ngai, David N
Kibiti, Cromwell M
Ngugi, Mathew Piero
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is ranked among the top five causes of death for old people. Globally, it is approximated that
there are 7.7 million new cases of Alzheimer's disease per annum and it is expected that by the year 2050, as many
as 1.5% of people will be victims of Alzheimers or other types of dementia. Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease and the conventional therapeutics agents available either have low efficacy or are associated with
serious side effects. In the current study, in vivo cognitive advancing and anticholinesterase effects of crude
methanol extracts of stem bark and leaf of Prunus africana were investigated in scopolamine treated mice. Passive
avoidance task was used to evaluate cognitive enhancing effects of the two plant extracts. Donepezil was used as
the standard drug. Scopolamine butylbromide (5 mg/kg bw) was administered intraperitoneally to induce Alzheimer's disease in mice during the study. A completely controlled randomised experimental design was
employed in the current study. The two extracts displayed significant anticholinesterase activities and improved
cognition in a dose dependent fashion as indicated by escape latency trends. From the current study, it is
concluded that methanol extracts of stem bark and leaf of P. africana contain phytochemicals with anticholinesterase activity and cognitive enhancing effects in scopolamine treated mice. The study therefore supports use of
leaf and stem bark extracts of P. africana for management of dementia by traditional herbal practitioners.
Description
Article
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, Cognition, Passive avoidance task, Anticholinesterase, Acetylcholine
Citation
Ngai, D. N., Kibiti, C. M., & Ngugi, M. P. (2022). Cognitive enhancing effects and anticholinesterase activity of stem bark and leaf extracts of Prunus africana. Heliyon, 8(12).